1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a three-dimensional (3D) image processor and processing method, and more particularly, to a 3D image processor and processing method using a ray tracing scheme.
2. Description of the Related Art
Three-dimensional (3D) image processing includes a technology for generating images similar to physical images on a plane display such as a television, a monitor, and the like. The 3D image processing may set a virtual 3D space where a virtual 3D object is positioned, and simulate images viewed in an observer's viewpoint according to the relationship between a virtual ray and the virtual 3D object.
3D image processing may be divided into a process for modeling the virtual 3D space and the virtual 3D object and a process for extracting images obtained when the modeled virtual 3D object is projected in the observer's viewpoint. The process for extracting images projected in the observer's viewpoint from the virtual 3D object is generally referred to as 3D rendering.
Ray tracing is one technology for 3D rendering.
In the physical world, rays from at least one light are reflected and/or refracted when striking an object to cause change in a direction and/or intensity of the rays, and the changed rays are aggregated to form the observer's viewpoint.
Ray tracing is a scheme for inversely tracing a trajectory of a ray in the physical world, and a tracing process in which at least one ray is generated from the observer's viewpoint, and the generated at least one ray is reflected and/or refracted when striking the object to thereby cause change in the at least one ray. The ray tracing may set any of the pixels composing the plane display as the observer's viewpoint, and trace changes in the at least one ray generated from each of the pixels to thereby determine each color of the pixels.
In general, the quantity of rays and objects may increase in order to provide a realistic 3D image using ray tracing. The increased number of rays and objects, and thus the 3D rendering using the ray tracing, may require a very large computation quantity.